Where Do We Go From Here
by TieDyeJackson
Summary: A very different Season Six. What If there was another loss on the night that Buffy fell. One that changed the course of Buffy History. How different would our wonderful world be. I suck at summaries so just give it a chance lol.
1. Chapter 1

It was quite a somber affair, everyone was still reeling from their losses. Somehow Xander thought it would make them feel better but without them there it felt like there was a hole that would never be filled.

A few words at City Hall and Anya could add Harris to the end of her long made up name. God , she was so beautiful and a bit happiness shone through all that misery. The car was already decorated … and packed. All of their belongings in the world were held in their backseat and the U-Haul trailer. His parents weren't there but the man who was more a father then a father grasped his hand in a sturdy English handshake and a look that said keep a stiff upper lip.

He nodded and smiled. All of them were a little misty but everyone needed this break in the sadness before one more thing drew them apart. Anya was bawling as she hugged Tara and Dawn. They spent forever saying their goodbyes.

It was getting near dusk as they finally pulled away from the pack and started towards the car. Xander was a bit taken back to see Spike leaned up against the car holding a hastily wrapped bottle in his hand.

"It the good stuff, Harris. Pinched it off Willy's very top shelf." He said as he handed the bottle off, "Of course, I still hate you, more of a celebration that you are leaving". Xander smiled a half smile as he took the bottle "You are nowhere near the top of my list either, Bleach boy" He grinned and then his face softened "But I'm still trusting you to take care of our girls.." and with that he reached out his hand.

Spike was a bit taken back by this but quickly regained his cocky sneer "Of course, you git. Made a promise I intend to keep." Xander patted his shoulder and opened the door for Anya , who could barely pull herself together to move. Spike made his way over to Tara and the Bit and wrapped an arm around each as Giles polished his glasses trying to mask the tears.

Giles concealed his shaking hands as Anya and Xander drove away. He was happy when Xander announced that he had found work in some Midwest town he couldn't revcall the name of. The boy and Anya would have a quiet life for once in the many years he had known them. Perhaps a few children and a white picket fence in their bright future.

But a part of him felt hollow and wept at this final loss. The Hellmouth had now swallowed all of his original adopted children. His daughters washed away in a sea of blood on that tower not that long ago. Now his son, so swept up in that loss and aloft in misery, running to escape the anger and hate they all had for this evil evil town.


	2. Chapter 2

Quentin Travers detested the stench of America. Even his kerchief couldn't mask the stench of desperation, entitlement and grease that assaulted his senses as soon as he left the plane. And here in this California prison the smell was quite overbearing. He sat on the chair that his staff had brought to this trailer. From what he could tell it was used for conjugal visits and not kept clean by any standards. This is why he always kept a folding chair with him, no need to taint his perfectly tailored suit with anything remotely American made.

They brought her in her chains. He quietly turned to his staff to make sure they all had their weapons at the ready before he nodded to the solitary guard to leave and hand over the keys. The council had paid quite an adequate amount and pulled a lot of strings for this meet and greet and if it went as he hoped, a lot more hands would be held out and a lot more favors exchanged.

He signaled for one of his men to pull off the bag they had put over her head, there was no further need for the cloak and dagger that the other had insisted on. Ms Lehane said nothing as her eyes travelled the room and its occupants, formulating a plan to kill them all no doubt and then her eyes settled on his.

"Knew the council had some starch in their undies, didn't estimate on the kink." Quentin scoffed audibly and adjusted his lapel as Ms. Lehane motioned with her head to the others "They gonna watch, or join in … either way I'm down …. Pickings are kinda low in this place." He was sure the look of anger and disgust on his face just made her grin that much wider.

"Are you quite done, so we can discuss what we came here to discuss?" Quentin tried to hold the venom in his voice at bay, the others on the council insisted that they try to reason with this animal, he would have much rather preferred putting her down and starting anew. "As a show of good faith, pardon the contradiction in terms given the situation, we will remove your bonds." As expected within a split second of her getting one hand free a gun was now pointing in his face and he was down one groaning bodyguard.

"What the hell do you want from me, are you here to kill me again there Watcher Boy?" Quentin had to smirk at the sheer look of rage in Ms. Lehane's face; maybe he could bait her and get his way anyway.

"If it was my way, yes Ms Lehane , we would put you down like the dog you are and start anew with a fresh young girl with scruples and principles , something which you sorely lack" Quentin looked with novelty at the gun he knew for a fact to not be loaded, something which he was the only one aware of.

"Buffy would have something to say about that" Ms Lehane said as she steeled her shoulders once more.

"Ms. Summers is no longer an issue, she is deceased" Quentin returned sharply to quite visibly take the wind out of Ms. Lehane's sails.

"You're lying…"

"Do you think we would be here in this place even thinking of you if that wasn't the case, . Use what little sense you have to process that information." Quentin thundered, begging she would attempt to pull the trigger.

"You don't think I don't know the heft of a fully loaded gun, Watcher Boy?" She grinned as she tossed it towards the rest of his panicked entourage. "What's the Deal?"

"Unfortunately, Ms. Lehane. We need you and despite my vehement protestations …"

"They have pills for that now, ya know, little blue ones … perk ya right up"

"DESPITE my complete disgust with the prospect … the Council believes you are the most viable alternative given what is coming…."

"What's coming?" Faith leaned forward in her chair.

"We do not know Ms. Lehane but … we … need you…. The world needs you… and we could have you out of here within a few hours, back on a plane to headquarters to research and … "

"Deal, make the calls Jeeves but I won't be on the plane"

"I must insist, Ms. Lehane"

"Don't think you get this needing me thing, Mr. Belvedere. I call the shot, I make the rules, I pick my people, and I say where I'm going to go … alone."

"And where do you think you could prepare for this impending doom more adequately than headquarters, Ms Lehane."

"You know what they say, Remington Steele…. There's no place like home. "


	3. Chapter 3

Spike was tired as hell as he tromped towards Revello Drive, it would be a few more hours until the sun was up. It had been an interesting few months since the whelp had packed up and left. He had promised B… The Slayer that he would take care of The Bit and he was true to his word.

He was now the proud parent of a Sunnydale student. He was surprised at how easily that he got custody and he was even more surprised at how much of a git that Hank Summers had been. He didn't even react to the news of his daughter's death with any grief at all, too concerned about if the hotel in Rio was charging him for an incoming bloody call. Spike had put on his best William voice and talked about how he'd been a friend of the family and didn't want to uproot Dawn and would gladly take her in; a fax and a promise of no need of financial support (killing that bloody bugger would be worth the headache) and he was her guardian. Of course he had told The Bit that her father had put up quite the argument but he had won out in the end. Didn't want her knowing that her father was a bloody git even if he was the biggest and bloodiest he had ever had the displeasure to have traded words with.

Then he made to make himself more reputable, make sure there was no reason for the good child services folks tried to get between him and his word. The treasure of Amara was right where he had left it and with a few trips to a few different fences he had a bankroll that made the bankers shake his hand and call him .

Tara had decided to come live with him and Dawn and he seconded the idea, only so much an undead like him could deal with on a teenage girl scale. They both made him smoke outside which annoyed him because HE owned the bloody house, damn their need to breathe. Tara had decided to devote herself to taking care of Dawn and Spike gave her enough dosh to buy into The Magic Box. Rupert had kind of fell apart and it was an easy way for Tara to make her own hours and feel like her time wasn't wasted without school.

Spike on the other hand didn't feel the Magic Box was the right fit for him so he had made Willy an offer he couldn't refuse and now he was a reputable business owner as well, well as reputable a business that Willy's was. Again he made his own hours and employed only the toughest demons that he could trust to run his bar when he felt the need not to.

Pretty soon Monday would roll around and Dawn would return to school. No more waiting up till the early morning hours to greet him when he worked. He couldn't count the number of times he had come home from work or after patrol and found her passed out in his room. He would cover her in his duster to let her know that he had seen her and then he would trudge downstairs, draw the drapes and sleep as much as he could on that bloody awful couch. Tara would muss his hair and bring him a cup of blood …

Spike stopped dead in his tracks. He stopped out his smoke so the air was clear and he could double check his nose wasn't fooling him. The smell of a big nasty emanating from his front door. He took off and flung open the door, screaming for Tara and The Bit only to run in the kitchen to see them sitting around the table with the reason for his worry sipping on hot chocolate.

Red's wolf had returned…


End file.
